The Huskies' varsity eight earned the lofty ranking on the strength of an impressive performance last weekend at the San Diego Crew Classic. UW entered that regatta ranked No. 17 and defeated four ranked opponents en route to capturing the Jessop-Whittier Cup.

In the grand final, the Huskies trailed by six seats before reeling in then fourth-ranked USC with a strong surge over the final 400 meters. UW edged past the Trojans at the finish line, winning by nine-tenths of a second.

Washington State placed third in San Diego. The Cougars also made a significant jump in the rankings, rising from 15th to No. 8 this week.

Preseason No. 1 California remained in the top spot of the rankings with 17 first-place votes. Yale stayed in the No. 2 position and collected the remaining eight first-place votes. Virginia maintained its No. 3 ranking.

USC is ranked fifth, followed by No. 6 Princeton and No. 7 Michigan State. Tennessee and Stanford round out the top-10 with their No. 9 and No. 10 rankings, respectively.

Washington and WSU finished among the top-three in all three women's races at the Crew Classic. The Huskies won the varsity and junior varsity events and the Cougars were first in the novice race.

Those top-10 ranked cross-state rivals, along with their men's counterparts, will meet, Saturday, April 12 on the Montlake Cut. The first race in the dual regatta is slated for 9 a.m.